Stanisław Moniuszko was born on 5 May 1819 to the patriotic family of Polish landowners settled in Ubiel,
near Minsk (now: Byelarus; he died on 4 June 1872 in Warsaw). His interest in music became evident early in his childhood. He was introduced to the
rudiments of music by taking private piano lessons. His formal music education took place in Berlin
in 1837 where under Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen he studied composition and choral conducting.
Several of his songs composed during this period were published by the firm of Bote & Bock and were
favorably received by the music critics.

After returning from Berlin he obtained a post as an organist in Vilnus. During that time he
became acquainted with the novelist Jozef Ignacy Kraszewski and playwright-satirist Aleksander Fredro.
These contacts stimulated his interest in dramatic music. He began composing intensively writing his
first operas, other stage works, sacred music as well as secular cantatas.

At about this time he also commenced work on the collection of songs entitled Spiewnik
Domowy (Songbook for Home Use), which would have wide appeal to Polish public. The first volume
of this collection was published in 1843 and met with much interest among both the public and music
critics. Over the years the collection grew to 12 volumes - 267 songs with piano accompaniment.
Although many of the songs are simple, predominately strophic, there are also those which take on
a form of dialogues or ballads and majority testify to composers originality and melodic inventiveness.
The source of Moniuszko's melodies and rhythmic patterns often lies in Polish musical folklore.

During his lifetime Moniuszko traveled numerous times to St. Petersburg where his concerts
were very well received. Serov, the young Russian critic of the time, referred to Moniuszko's compositions
as "brilliant works." While in St. Petersburg Moniuszko met and befriended many of his contemporaries,
prominent in Russian music including Mikhail Glinka, MilyBalakirev, and Modest Mussorgsky.
To Alexander Dargomyzhsky, with whom he became very close, he dedicated his overture Bajka
(Fairytale). In 1858, thanks to the help of Maria Kalergis, Moniuszko journeyed to Paris and Berlin,
paid a visit to Bedrich Smetana in Prague, and to Weimar, where he met with Franz Liszt.

Hanna from "Haunted Manor"

Most crucial to Moniuszko's career was, however, his visit to Warsaw in 1848. He met there
Jozef Sikorski, the future editor of the most notable Polish music journal Ruch Muzyczny (Musical
Movement), Oscar Kolberg a well-known folk song collector, and Wlodzimierz Wolski a poet and future
librettist of Moniuszko's best known opera Halka. Named after its heroine, Halka was premiered with
great success in 1858 in Warsaw and later in Prague, Moscow and St. Petersburg. The engagement of
the composer as an opera conductor at the Grand Theatre in Warsaw followed in 1859. From 1964 he
also taught harmony and counterpoint at the Musical Institute there.

After Halka came other major operatic compositions: Straszny Dwor (The Haunted Manor),
Flis (The Raftsman), Hrabina (The Countess), and Verbum Nobile. The common trait shared by all
these works are librettos which while depicting Polish nobility and gentry, and sometimes even the
characters of common origins, above all, emphasized Polish customs and traditions, and at the time
of national strife, sustained and fostered patriotic feelings. The first part of the 19-th century is marked
in the history of Poland by her loss of statehood and the partion of her territories between the neighbors.
The music of Moniuszko's works is largely representative of the 19-th century opera, given the extensive
use by the composer of arias, recitatives and ensembles, with the exception of Straszny Dwor
(The Haunted Manor), where beautifully scored choral parts testify to Moniuszko's mastery of writing
for many voices. His music too, although stylistically distinct, evidently incorporates many national
motifs: Polish dances popular among upper classes such as polonaise and mazurka, and folk tunes
and dances such as kujawiak and krakowiak.

The most notable among his choral works are cantatas Sonety krymskie (Crimean Sonnets)
and Widma (Phantoms) composed to the texts of Adam Mickiewicz, the leading poet of the Polish
Romanticism. The melodic line of the former is particularly expressive and in parts of the composition
takes on the form of variations.

For more information about Moniuszko you may visit the web site of the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw (Grand Theatre) where
many of Moniuszko's operas are in the repertoire. This site (www.teatrwielki.pl) includes biographies of many artists who performed in
Moniuszko's operas. In Yahoo one may find over 800 references to Moniuszko, many pages
have biographical information and data about CD recordings. For more information in print, consult
B. M.
Maciejewski's book, Moniuszko. Father of Polish Opera (Library of Congress no. is ML 410 M752 M3. Published in 1979,
London, by Allegro Press). Moniuszko's manuscripts have not been catalogued and described; no scholarly monograph on the composer is currently
available. It seems that foreign composers are more interesting for Polish scholars than the "father" of Polish national opera. Perhaps a Western
specialist in Polish music will take this challenge and start researching Moniuszko's life and work.

More than 300, written from 1837 to 1872, majority collected by composer in six Home Song Books
(Spiewnik domowy) for voice and piano, published in Wilno between 1844 and 1859
and again between 1897 and 1910.

Prayers and religious songs (solo or duets) with organ.

Most popular songs:

Chochlik, (The Imp) text A.E. Odyniec.

Czaty, (The Ambush) ballad, text A. Mickiewicz, also version with orchestra.